Dowel inserting device for tie pinning machines



P. DE ANGUERA Nov. 1, 1955 DOWEL INSERTING DEVICE FOR TIE PINNINGMACHINES 5 Sheets-Sheet l Filed May 28, 1952 INVENToR. P/zzlz de 'x7/1dem BY p j Nov. 1, 1955 P, DE ANGUERA 2,722,248

DOWEL INSERTING DEVICE FOR TIE PINNING MACHINES 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 FiledMay 28, 1952 IN1/EN TOR. Ph flip de /fngaara BY Nov. 1, 1955 P. DEANGUERA 2,722,248

DOWEL INSERTING DEVICE FOR TIE PINNING MACHINES INVENTOR. /a F/zz'lziude lfzgaera United States Patent liice 2,722,248 Patented Nov. 1, 1955DOWEL INSERTING DEVICE FOR TIE PINNING MACHINES Application May 2s,1952, serial No. 290,526

6 claims. (ci. 14431) My invention relates to a new and improved spiraldowel inserting device for railroad tie and timber pinning machines.While the invention is particularly directed to a device useful inconjunction with a tie pinning machine, the invention may be applied toother types of machines which require automatic placement of fastenerparts for assembly in a Work piece.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide at low cost a greatlysimplified and dependable dowel inserting device for tie pinningmachines, or the like.

Another object of the invention is to provide a practical device whichwill positively deliver a set of metal spiral dowels from a magazine toa driving position adjacent a tie and force said set into more effectiveplacement in a tie or timber with less expenditure of power.

A further object of the present invention is to provide coordinatedmechanisms for feeding metal spiral dowels individual from a stack ofdowels disposed in sidewise abutment within a magazine, and foralternately introducing said dowels into each of a pair of deliverychutes which direct them into individual holders in position for axialdriving movement into the clamped end of a railroad tie,

timber, or the like. The mechanism according to the illustratedembodiment of the invention includes an oscillating dowel distributordisposed beneath a stack of dowels and operating in opposite lateraldirections to feed a dowel sidewise first into one and then the other ofa pair of chutes positioned on opposite sides and beneath thedistributor for delivery therefrom into the individual dowel holders.

Another advantageous feature of this invention resides in the novelcooperation of means employed for holding and forcing a metal .spiraldowel into a railroad tie, or a timber, said holding means beingcharacterized by the relatively loose or free lit of the spiral dowel inthe holder whilst the push rod for forcing the dowelfrom the holderinto'the tie' is free to rotate with the dowel as the dowel iis driveninto the tie or timber.

With` these objects in view, the present invention consists in certainfeatures of novelty in the construction, combination and arrangement ofparts by which the said objects and certain other objects are effected,all as fully described with respect to the accompanying drawings, andlmore particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

' Reference is hereby made to the accompanying drawings in the severalfigures of which similar reference numeral designate similar elementsand wherein:

Fig.- 1 is a cross sectional view taken through the longitudinal centerof a machine for inserting spiral dowels in railroad ties.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged section taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 1. l

Fig. 3 is a fragmental, side elevational view of the spiral dowelmagazine for the machine.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged top plan view of the dowel distribut`o'r for themachine. Fig. 5 is a section taken on line 5--5 of Fig.v 4.

Fig. 6 is a fragmental section taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

My spiral dowel inserting device is particularly useful in connectionwith a machine such as that disclosed in my co-pending patentapplication for Tie Pinning Machine and Method, iiled May 11, 1949, andgiven Serial Number 92,588, now Patent' No. 2,636,525. The elements ofthis tie pinning machine are generally shown in Fig. 1 wherein thenumeral 10 indicates a main frame comprising two laterally spacedI-beams 11 and 12 connected together across their opposite ends by crossplates 13 and 14. This frame supports a fixed jaw member 15, and areciprocated jaw member 16, the latter being movable toward and awayfrom the fixed jaw to respectively clamp and release the end of arailroad tie 17 into which a pair of metal spiral dowels is to beinserted, while the tie is held in compression between the jaws. Themovable jaw 16 is operated by a uid actuated cylinder-piston motor 18mounted on an upright rear plate 19 of the frame, said motor having ayoke 20 connected to its piston part which in turn is joined to themovable jaw by a pair of longitudinal pull rods 21-22.

Metal spiral dowels such as the one shown at A in Fig. 2 are driven intopre-drilled holes in the tie end held under compression by the jaws bymeans of two coordinated instrumentalities identified in Fig. 1 of thedrawings as a tie drilling device 23 and a dowel inserting device 24.With respect to the drilling device the numeral 25 refers to a dragplate movable upon the frame and coupled to the movable jaw at 26. Thedrag plate has mounted thereon a drill spindle carriage 27 which haslongitudinal reciprocating movement thereon independent of the movementof the plate, said carriage being mounted for rolling movement upon apair of laterally spaced tracks 28 positioned upon the drag plateadjacent the movable jaw 16. The carriage has a pair of verticallyspaced drill spindles 29-29 mounted thereon for vertical adjustment, thedrills being continuously actuated'during operation of the machine by asuitable motor (not shown). When the tie is held under compressionbetween the jaws 15 and 16 the drills 29 are fed through the movable jaw16 and through the tie end 17 by means of a fluid actuated,cylinder-piston motor 30 fixed beneath the drag plate 25 and having anoperative connection 31 with the underside of the carriage 23, acomplete cycle of said carriage comprising the feed stroke wherein thedrills are fed entirely through the railroad tie and return movement ofthe carriage to its inoperative position shown in Fig. 1.

A pair of dowels are next driven into the pre-drilled holes formed inthe tie while it remains under compression by a mechanism generallyindicated by the reference numeral 24, said mechanism comprising a pairof vertically spaced, hollow dowel holders 32-33 disposed rearwardly ofthe fixed jaw member 15 and operative therethrough, said holders beingvertically adjustable so that they are susceptible of axial alignmentwith the drill spindles 29. Each of the dowel holders has a freelyrotatable pusher rod 34-35, respectively, operable therethrough toaxially drive a dowel from the holder into the pre-drilled hole in thetie, said pusher rods being simultaneously driven by a fluid actuatedcylinder-piston motor 36 mounted on the plate 19 and connected to therods by a cross head 37.

As most clearly shown in Fig. 6 the cross head 37 has a channel shapedframe 38 comprising two opposed side walls 39, a back wall 40 andopposed end walls 41. The side walls each have a guide 42 extendinginwardly therefrom which engage slots 43 formed in the opposed sidewalls of a pair of vertically movable blocks 44, said blocks each beingheld in vertically adjusted positions by means of set bolts 45 which arethreaded in the blocks and pass through elongated slots 46 formed in theside walls 39. Each push rod 34--35 is provided with a reduced end 47which is journalled in a bore 48 formed through a block 44, said borehaving an enlarged forward end 49 for housing an anti-friction thrustbearing unit 50. The end ofthe push rod is threaded at 51 to cooperatewith a pair of lock nuts 52 to preclude axial displacement of the pushrods when they are retracted toward their inoperative positionsillustrated in Fig. l.

Turning now to my novel dowel feeding and driving device it will benoted with reference to Figs. 3 and 4 that the holders 32 and 33 extendlongitudinally of the machine and are normal to the fixed jaw member 15,said jaw having formed therethrough a pair of vertically spaced slots53-53 through which the holders direct driven spiral dowels into theclamped tie end 17. The holders are mounted behind the fixed jaw bymeans of a bearing plate 54 welded to the jaw and supported upon a framemember 55 by two longitudinally spaced gusset plates 56 and 57 (Figs. 4and 5). The holders are identical in construction and a description ofone holder will suice for a clear understanding of both. Each holder hasan elongated, solid block 58 formed with a centrally located slot 59through which a vertical adjusting screw 60 passes, said screw beingjournalled at its ends in lateral extensions 61 and 62 of the bearingplate 54. The screw has right and left externally threaded portions 63and 64 which cooperate with nuts 65 and 66 that are held againstrotation in routs milled in the blocks of the holders 32 and 33,rotation of the screw being adapted to vertically adjust the holders sothat they are brought into axial alignment with the drill spindles 29and with the through holes formed by the said drills in thetie end 17.The blocks are guided for vertical movement by a pair of tracks 67-67mounted on the interior face ofthe bearing plate 54 and receivable in apair of vertical guide slots 68-68 formed in each of the blocks 58.

As best shown in Figs. 5 and 6 each holder has a longitudinallyextending, semi-cylindrical slot 69 formed in a side thereof into whichis fitted a thick walled tube 70, said tube being preferablysectonalized to the end that the front section- 71 thereof encloses awear resistant liner 72 of high carbon steel whilst the upper portion ofthe Wall of a rear section 73 is provided with a longitudinal slot 74through which a metal spiral dowel A falls by gravity into drivingposition within a through-opening or bore 75 in the tube. End blocks 158and 159 are welded to the outer lateral face of the block 58 to keep theholder assembly together, it being seen with reference to Fig. 4 that aholder retaining slide 160 is xed to the outer.' face of the jaw 15 forcooperation with slide ways 161 formed in the end block 158.

With reference to Fig. 6 it is to be noted that the terminal end of therotatable push rod 35 is entered inthe rearward end of thethrough-opening 75 in the holder and'beyond the slot 74 when ininoperative position, said rod end being adapted upon actuation of therod to engage the trailing end of the spiral dowel and push it axiallythrough the opening 75 and into a pre-drilled hole 76 formed in thetimber end 17. It will be further observed with reference to Fig. 6 thatthe diameter of the through-opening 75 in the tube 70 is substantiallygreater than the outside diameter of the spiral dowel which results in aloose or free t of the dowel in its holder, and that the working face 77of the push rod is concave or cup shaped. The loose t of the dowel inthe tube permits the leading end of the dowel suicient lateral movementwhen it is pushed into the tie end that it will seek and find the mouthof the pre-drilled hole which may not be in axial alignment with theholder due to4 occasional lateral wander of the drills through certainwood conditions in a particular tie. The concave, working end of therodprovides adjustment of the trailing end-ofthe dowel to compensate forlateral adjustment of :itsleading end so that the dowel may remain clearof the interior surface of the holder as it is driven into the timber.Enlargement of the inside diameter of the dowel receiving tubes withrespect to the outside diameter of the dowels permits the holders toaccommodate and successfully drive dowels which may be irnperceptiblycurved along their longitudinal axes whilst such difference facilitatesself-cleaning of the holder tube of chips and foreign matter by movementof the push rods therethrough.

The diameter of the pre-drilled holes 76 in the tie or timber 17 are theroot diameter of the dowels such that the dowels upon being forcedthereinto rotate and cut interior threads into the drilled holes.Rotation of the push rods precludes dowel binding and freezing on theworking surface of the push rods 34-35, insures the cutting of accurate,distinct threads by the dowels in the predrilled holes in the tie andgreatly reduces the power needed to push said dowels into thepre-drilled holes in the tie.

A rotary dowel distributor 78 is positioned above the levels of thedowel holders 32 and 33 and beneath a dowel feed chute 79 which feedsdowels by gravity to the distributor from a hopper 80. As shown in Figs.1 and 2 the hopper is supported on legs resting upon the machine frameand has a pair of vertical end walls 81--81 and downwardly convergingside walls 82 and 83. The side wall 83 is formed by a series oflaterally spaced bars 84 (Figs. 2 and 3) which are inclined downwardlyto the mouth of the hopper where they are bent and extended verticallydownwardly to the distributor 78, said vertical portions of the barsforming one side wall 85 for the dowel feed chute 79. Interposed betweenthe inclined portions of the bars 84 are a series of dowel agitatingrocker bars 86 pivoted on a common pivot rod 87 that extends through andis anchored in the bars 84. The agitating bars are secured together attheir upper ends on a connecting shaft 88 whilst their opposed free ends(Fig. 2) form a vibrating single file passageway for the dowels as theypass into the top of the feed chute from the hopper 80, there beingindicated at 89 a side wall of spaced vertical bars which cooperate withthe side wall 85 to form a feed chute passageway 90 for supporting avertical stack of spiral dowels in side-to-side relationship. A doweldistributing rotor 91 is positioned directly beneath the stack of dowelsin the feed chute 79 and has formed in its side wall two spaced dowelreceiving pockets in the form of longitudinal grooves 92 and 93, saidrotor being mounted between two bearing blocks 94 and 95 each bolted tothe upper portion of the bearing plate 54.

The means for oscillating the rotor comprises an arm 96 fixed to therotor shaft and which in turn is connected to a rocker arm assembly 97by a link 98. As best shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the rocker arm assemblycomprises a pair-of plates 99 and 100V held in face-to-face relationshipby a pair of contractile springs 101 and 102. Common ends of theseVsprings are connected to opposed arms 103 on a plate 104 welded to andextending at right angles from the rplate `99, while the opposite endsof the springs are secured to a` pair of arms 105 carried on a plate 106secured at right angles to the plate 100. The free end of plate 104 ispivotally connected to the depending end of the link 98. The plates areheld in alignment and are rockable on opposed separable hinge knuckles107 to provide a jointed rocker arm normally spring held in extended,operative position but laterally yieldable under excessive pressure toact as a safety device for the prevention of damage to machine parts.Plate also has two spaced arms 108 secured to its face, said arms beingpivotaly mounted at 109 to a bracket 110 bolted to a frame member155. Anintermediate portion of the arms are connected'by a loose link 111 tothe connecting rod 11,2 of a uid actuated cylinder-piston motor 113positioned upon said frame member 155. The outer ends of the arms 108are pivotaly connected toa sleeve 117 which telescopieally receives the`lower end of a rod 114 threaded at its upper end in a tapped b ore 116formed in a coupler 115 which -in turn is loose on the connecting rod 88for the agitating bars 86 of the hopper 80. Adjustment of the couplerand therod is maintained by a set nut 118 threaded on the rod andengaged against the ydepending end of the coupler, the telescopicconnection between the sleeve and the rod being held together by meansof a pair of contractile springs 119 hooked over the connecting shaft 88and secured to the pivot connection 120 between the arms 108 and theshaft 114.

It will therefore be understood that under normal operatng conditionsactuation of the motor 113 will cause the assembly 97 to rock on itsfulcrum 109 thus oscillating the rotor 91 to cause it to feed a dowelfrom the bottom of the stack in feed chute 79 into one and then into theother of the dowel holders 32 and 33. Rocking of the assembly 97 alsomoves the sleeve 117 and rod 114 upwardly which rocks the dowelagitating bars 86 to insure a flow of dowels to the mouth of the hopperand to preclude jamming of the dowels as they enter the dowel feed chute79. In the event the rotor should become frozen or jammed for anyreason, the assembly will tiex back and forth so that the motor 113 maycontinue to rock the arms 108 whilst plate 104 is stationary, becausethe plates 99 and 100, to which the plate 104 and the arms 108 arerespectively connected, can rock from one and then to the other of theseparable sockets 107 against the action of the springs 101 and 102which have enough tension to hold plates 99 and 100 in face-to-facerelation for normal operation of the rotor but are extensible underundue tension. Likewise when dowels become jammed under the terminalends of the bars 86 the telescopic connection between sleeve 117 and rod114 will be extensible against the action of the springs 119 thusprecluding damage to the machine parts.

The machine is provided with a suitable uid pressure system and controls(not shown) which successively in troduces pressure uid into motor 18 toclamp the end of a tie 17 between the jaws 15-16, then to operate motor30 to feed and return the drills 29 from pre-drilled holes in the timberend, and then actuate clinder 36 to operate the push rods 34-35 to drivedowels from the holders into the pre-drilled holes in the timber end, itbeing contemplated that the motor 113 should complete one cycle duringthe tie clamping operation to thereby rock the arm 108 and oscillateboth the rotor 91 and the dowel agitator bars 86 of the hopper.

As depicted in Fig. oscillating movement of the rotor comprises rstrotating the rotor 91 counterclockwise to move the lowermost dowelsidewise from beneath the stack into a position where it will fall fromthe slot into the guide chute 121 and down into the slot 74 in theholder 32, said counterclockwise movement of the rotor also bringing theslot 92 beneath the stack of pins in the feed chute to receive thelowermost dowel therein. Clockwise movement of the rotor as seen in Fig.5 then carries the dowel in slot 92 to a position where it is droppedfrom slot 92 into guide chute 122 and thence into the holder 32, thismovement also returning the slot 93 in the rotor beneath the stack ofdowels in position for the next dowel feeding operation.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for driving spiral dowels into a tie comprising a pair ofhorizontal dowel holders fixedly positioned adjacent a portion of thetimber to be dowelled, each of said holders having an upwardly openingthrough-slot therein, and said holders being positioned on differentlevels, an upstanding guide chute communicating with each through-slot,a feed chute located above the holders for holding a stack of dowelstherein in side-to-side relationship, a rotor mounted for rotationbeneath the discharge end of the feed chute, said rotor being formedwith a first and a second angularly spaced apart, dowel `receivingpocket, means for oscillating the rotor from a rst position to a secondposition and return, whereby in said first position of the rotor theiirst pocket is located directly beneath the discharge end of the feedchute to receive a dowel and in the second rotor position the said dowelis delivered out of said pocket into one guide chute and its associatedholder whilst the second pocket is in dowel receiving position beneaththe discharge end of the feed chute and return movement of the rotordischarges the dowel in the second pocket into the remaining guide chuteand its associated holder as the first pocket is returned to the rstrotor position, and means for driving the dowels deposited in theholders axially into the tie.

2. In a device for driving a spiral dowel into a predrilled hole formedin a tie comprising a frame, a clamp on the frame for holding thepre-drilled portion of the timber, a hollow dowel holder positioned onthe frame to position a dowel therein in longitudinal alignment with thehole in the timber, a pusher rod movable through the holder and having acupped end for receiving the end of a spiral dowel therein, areciprocating motor mounted on the frame, and an anti-friction driveconnection between the motor and the rod to permit free rotation of therod around its longitudinal axis as it forces a spiral dowel out of theholder and into the pre-drilled hole in the tie.

3. In a device for driving a spiral dowel having a pointed pilot endinto pre-drilled holes formed in a tie com-- prising a frame, a fixedjaw member and a relatively movable jaw member mounted on the frame forclamping the drilled portion of the tie therebetween, a dowel holdercarried by the xed jaw member and having an open topped cylindrical boreformed therethrough, and disposed n axial alignment with the hole in thetimber held between the jaw members, said bore having an oversize insidediameter with respect to the outside diameter of the spiral dowelreceivable therein, a rotatable, cylindrical pusher rod movable throughthe bore and having a concave dowel engaging face on its inner end, areciprocating motor mounted on the frame, and an anti-frictionconnection between the motor and the outer end of the rod to permitrotation of the pusher rod around its longitudinal axis as it forces aspiral dowel out of the bore and into the pre-drilled hole in the tie.

4. In a device for driving a spiral dowel into each of a pair ofpre-drilled holes formed in a tie comprising a frame, a fixed jaw memberand a relatively movable jaw member mounted on the frame for clampingthe tie therebetween, a pair of dowel holders mounted on the iixed jawmember in axial alignment with the pre-drilled holes in the timber, apush rod mounted for sliding movement in each of the holders,intermittent power means for operating the push rods, a dowel feed chutemounted on the frame above the holders, a rotary dowel distributormounted on the frame directly beneath the discharge end of the feedchute and above the holders, means for oscillating the distributor tosuccessively feed the lowermost dowel in the feed chute into one andthen into the other of the dowel holders, said means comprising a rockarm mounted on the frame, an operating arm fixed to the rotor, and alink connection between one end of the rock arm and the said operatingarm, a dowel hopper supported on the frame and including a bottomportion having a spaced series of bars inclined downwardly to the mouthof the feed chute, dowel agitating bars interposed between the inclinedbars and rockably mounted therebetween, a conlnecting rod between theouter ends of the agitating bars and the rock arm, and a reciprocatingmotor for intermittently actuating the rock arm during dwell periods ofthe push rods.

5. In a device according to claim 4 characterized by the fact that therock arm is laterally yieldable under excessive operating conditions ofthe rotor.

6. In a device according to claim 5 further characterized by the factthat the connecting rod between the dowel agitating bars and the rockarm is yieldable under excessive operating conditions of the agitatingbars.

(References on following page) Refrens= Cited in thc' l of this patentUNITED ST ATES PATENTS' Boykin Nov. 10,` 1903 Papointe Mar. 6;.1917 5 8Lttlefmld" May 8, 1923 Richardson Dec; 29, 1925 Hauck Aug. 10, 1926Paxton Apr. 18, 19'50 Anguera- Sept. 11`, 1951

